This issue of our newsletter brought to you by Thrifty Traveler Premium​

Hello Reader,

🧭 Where in the World?

January is slipping away – some might say good riddance. Let’s see what’s ahead.

Inbound and Outbound Travel News

We don’t talk much about travel inbound to the United States. This last Tuesday in January is the official National Plan for Vacation Day, a recognition day formed in 2018 by the U.S. Travel Association and whoever makes those National Day calendars. We agree this is a perfect time to book your travel for the rest of the year. You may even be forming your wish list for 2026.

What the U.S. Travel Association has in mind is, of course, is attracting visitors to the U.S., and encouraging domestic travel among its citizens. That’s not simple in the current political, economic, and environmental climate. (Social media by our non-U.S. travel colleagues is aflutter with remarks about avoiding the U.S.) The long view, however, is focused on events like soccer's 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. So expect to see more ads and promotion of domestic tourism.

Around the world, leaders are talking about the economic impact of travel and the potential to use these resources to improve local economies and fund social and environmental initiatives. The Saudi Arabia Minister of Tourism spoke to this issue in Davos last week. We see initiatives around the world, and have gathered ideas for responsible tourism here.

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Our Tour to Scandinavia

Save $150 on our September tour to Sweden and Norway by booking before the end of January! (*You'll see a $100 discount as you book, and receive an additional $50 off when you are enrolled by January 31.) We’re excited about the food, among other things, and a return to Copenhagen (which is an optional 3-day extension to our itinerary). We’ve created this custom itinerary ourselves and are especially pleased about the optional day hikes and plenty of free time.

​See all the details and reserve your spot here. We love to help individualize our tours, so send us your wishes and questions!

🧳 Our Latest Posts

Are you traveling outside the U.S. later this year? Book now and you'll have plenty of time to get your proverbial and actual house in order. Travel Past 50 has several posts that will help you with those advance preparations. In fact, our readers have queried us this week about these very things. Read our tips for Things to Do Before Traveling Internationally, and What to Do with Your Dog While on Vacation.

Several questions about travel insurance have come our way recently, too. Yes, is the answer. You may find convenient and reasonable options at checkout when you book a tour or flight. If you travel more often – like 3 trips a year domestic or international – an annual plan like ours with Allianz Travel Insurance is cost effective and an easy way to get some peace of mind. Read Travel Insurance Basics: What to Look For and When to Buy.​

🗞️ Travel News From Around the Web

• ​Can Anything Stop Overtourism? is the question asked by this story in the NY Times. As we are frequent visitors to Spain, one of the countries which is implementing measures to limit tourism at the same time as they're actively promoting tourism, we sympathize with the conundrum. It's perhaps easier for us to avoid contributing to the problem because we've already spent a lot of time in Barcelona. If you want to ease pressure on over touristed sites, consider doing what we do: pick a secondary site to visit, e.g. Mérida instead of Barcelona, Lyon instead of Paris, Paros instead of Santorini, and travel off-season. We're big fans of Europe in winter.
• Google has released a list of their top 5 searches for solo travelers.
• We're always looking for (and recommending ourselves) some of these tips for saving money on travels. In fact, we've given all the very same tips here.

💸 This Week's Best Deals in Travel

• ​Apple AirTags have gone back on sale at Amazon. They're simply the best travel gadget out there if you ever check a bag – or lose your keys. Also, there's an AirTag bracelet for keeping track of grandkids...or, as they also point out, "elders."
• This handy little Bluetooth transmitter (along with our wireless earbuds) is our favorite way to listen to entertainment on the plane. It's a great way to eliminate the tangle of cords around your too small airplane seat. And, it's on sale now at Amazon, too.
• Check out this list of our favorite travel accessories for all the little things that make travel easier.
• Finally, our friend Matt Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt, is updating his NY Times bestselling book with the new How to Travel the World on $75 A Day. If you buy the book in advance of the March release date, Matt will send you some very valuable bonuses.

✈️ Points and Miles News

• One of the best tips we can give you is to subscribe to at least one of the premium services that constantly searches for the best flight deals using both dollars and points. Just today, we got notice of 45K points deals for business class to Dublin from Thrifty Traveler Premium, and round trip to Amman, Jordan for less than $800 from Daily Drop Pro. Check out one or both. If you book one cheap flight, you've more than paid for the service.
• Speaking of getting cheap flights, of course the best way to do it is to use a credit card with travel benefits to accumulate points which you can then use for flights, hotels, or whatever. This card is one we carry and is one of the best for accumulating points – mainly because they give you two points for every dollar you spend. You'll get 75,000 bonus points if you meet the minimum initial spend, and that's like a free $750 to spend on travel. There are lots of other benefits that more than make the $95 annual fee worth it.

📖 What We're Reading

Kris is reading Table for Two, a collection of short stories by Amor Towles. She’s completely taken by the wry narrative voice, the characters, the stories...which is to say: recommended!

Tom is finishing The Wide Wide Sea, by Hampton Sides, about the third voyage around the world of the British explorer Captain James Cook in the late 1770s. Two themes are emerging as the voyage progresses: the inevitable culture clash between the imperialist British and the native peoples of the Pacific islands, and, more interesting even, the madness that the long voyage is wreaking on Cook and some of his men. A riveting book that continues to get better.

For our previous book recommendations, check out this list.

❝Travel Quote of the Week❞

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. – John Muir

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Happy travels,

Kris and Tom

​ Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning ​Travel Past 50​ ​ Connect with us: Facebook, Threads, Instagram, ​ Join our Facebook community.

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